Construction of second Beijing airport to start by 2010

Xinhua Beijing, March 18 (Xinhua) Construction of a second airport in the Chinese capital will start before 2010, the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) said Tuesday. The new airport is being built under the national civil airport development programme, which runs till 2020.

Under the plan, the number of airports nationwide will rise to 190 or so by 2010, including 55 for both civilian and military purposes.

CAAC data shows that last year, 148 airports on the mainland handled 387.59 million passengers and 8.61 million tonnes of cargo and mail, up 16.8 percent and 14.3 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Beijing Capital International Airport, the country’s largest and busiest air[port, handled 53.47 million passengers last year, taking its place among the world’s 10 busiest airports.

Its new Terminal 3, a major expansion project undertaken in preparation for an anticipated surge in passengers during the Olympics this summer, had its first commercial flight after opening Feb. 29 Xinhua